Atmospheric pressure engine with lateral support for burners



May 31, 1949- o. z. FRAZIER ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE ENGINE WITH LATERALSUPPORT FOR BURNER-S Filed Sept. 11, 1945 Imneqtor Orr/1112 Z. Fi'azzmQttorncg? Patented May 31, 1949 UNITED STATE Jf ATMOSPHERIC PRESSUREENGINE LATERAL SUPPORT FOR BURNERS Orville Z. Frazier, Elkhart,Ind.,'-assignor of onehalf to Harold Andresen,- Elkhart, Ind.

3 Claims.

This'invention relates to atmospheric pressure engines such as usepressure of the atmosphere at one side of a piston to actuate the pistonin its power stroke, by creating a subatmospheric pressure at the otherside of the piston.

.An object of the invention is to create a sub atmospheric pressurewithin the cylinder of an engine of the described type in an improvedmanher, without suchinjection of fuel as characterizes prior practice.

Another object is to create suction within an engine cylinder throughtravel of a piston and to -drawaflame into the cylinder responsive tosuch suction, the flame serving to'consume oxygen'in the cylinderand'thus reduce pressure materially below that of the atmosphere.

Another object is to provide a cylinder with a port through which aflame is drawn during a certain portion of each operating cycle and toactuate a valve controlling said port by a novel and improved mechanism.

These and various other objects are attained by the constructionhereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Fig. 1 is an axial vertical sectional view of my improved engine.

Fig. 2 is a View of the engine in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is an axial sectional view of the cylinder and piston, showinghow a flame is drawn in during initial portion of the down stroke.

Fig. 4 is a View in front elevation of a shielded burner employed by theengine.

In these views, the reference character I designates a cylindervertically disposed at an elevation above a base 2 and rigidly mountedon said base by a pair of legs 3. A head 4 integral with said cylindercloses its upper end and is formed with a central exhaust port 5. Adownwardly seating check valve 6, preferably of a disk type controlsthis port, and lift of said valve is regulated by a thumb screw 1 setinto a cage 8 for the valve,

Reciprocatory in said cylinder is a piston 9, of the usual inverted cuptype, and a connecting rod I is pivoted to a bracket I l carriedcentrally and interiorly by said piston. Said rod extends downwardlythrough the open lower end of the cylinder to engage a crank pin l 2fixed on a disk 13 secured on one end of the engine shaft I4. Said shaftis horizontally journaled in a pair of spaced standards l5 upstandingfrom the base 2 and rigidly carries a suitable fly wheel [6 between saidstandards. The shaft l4 further rigidly carries a cam wheel l1,preferably at a side of the standards I5 opposite to that adjoined bythe crank disk, and

an endless cam groove l8 formed in the inner face of said cam wheel isarcuate and coaxial with said wheel except as regards a chordal portion'I-8a. An opening i9 is preferably drilled in the cam wheel outwardly ofthe chordal portion of the groove to correct such lack of dynamicbalance as would otherwise result from an excess of weight at thatpoint. Said groove preferably extends arcuately for about 240 degrees,the extent "of the chordal portion thus being about degrees. Insertedand rotatable in said groove is a'roller Isa journaled on the lower endof a vertical slide bar 20, and slots 2! and 22 in said bar respectivelyreceive the shaft M and a pin 23 on the cylinder to guide the bar in itsreciprocation. In exterior proximity to the cylinder, the upper portionof said slide bar is materially enlarged and apertured as indicated at24 to accommodate a shelf 25 rigidly outwardly projecting from thecylinder, Removably installed on this shelf is a liquid fuel tank 25 onwhich an ordinary wick type burner 27 is secured. The flame of theburner 2? rises in outward proximity to an air inlet port 28 openinginto the cylinder just below its closed top end, and a valve member 29fixed on the enlarged top portion of the slide bar 20, above theaperture 24, bears on a plane vertical face of the cylinder to controlsaid port. Preferably the cylinder carries an upward extension 30 onwhich the valve member 29 may travel. It is preferred also to equip theburner 27 with a sheet metal hood 3| comprising a wall laterally spacedfrom the cylinder and having wings 3la extending into close proximity tothe plane face which seats the valve member 29, said hood also closingthe top of the chamber thus formed to receive the burner flame. Thishood prevents disturbance of the burner flame by wind or other aircurrents created independently of the engine.

In operation of the described engine, the inlet port 28 (shown closed inFigs. 1 and 2) is progressively uncovered as the piston starts its downstroke, and is fully uncovered when the piston has traveledapproximately one third of such stroke. During the mid portion of thedown stroke (about one third), the port is again closed and remainsclosed during completion of the downstroke and throughout the upstroke,By thus timing relative travel of the piston and valve member 29, theburner flame is drawn by infiowing air through the port 28 and into thecylinder during initial portion of the downstroke, substantially fillingthe space above the piston and substantially consuming the oxygencontent of such space. Closing of the sliding valve member cuts theflame off from 3 its source before completion of the downstroke, butcombustion within the cylinder will be prolonged during the short timeinterval required to complete down travel of the piston. Hence, when thepiston is fully lowered, a material pressure reduction below that or theatmosphere has been created in the cylinder by oxygen reduction. Thedifferential thus created on the down stroke between pressure within andwithout the cylinder causes the piston to be actuated on its upstroke bya considerable atmospheric pressure, the flywheel storing sufiicientenergy to efiect the piston down stroke. On each upstroke, nitrogen andthe products of combustion are exhausted through the port 5, the lift ofthe check valve 6 being preregulated by the screw 7 to afford suitablefreedom of escape. The check valve immediately seats, however, aspressure beneath it is relieved.

Starting of the described engine is effected, after lighting the burner,by giving the fly Wheel a turn and on larger sized en ines, startingdevices ma be in comeinternal com bustion engine The e1 .e is stopped byextinguishing the name. Speed power evolved may be regulated by raisingor lowering; the wick and thus varying the size of the flame.

While the principle of using atmospheric pressure to actuate a piston inits power stroke is by no means novel, engines of this characterundergone no material development over a long period of years, and theiroriginal development was in very crude forms. Because of their extremesimplicity and consequent low cost, improved by the present invention,engines are particularly well suited for use as toys and for fractionalhorse-power units.

Relatively low cost of the described engine follows from elimination ofany carburetor, from the highly simplified valve mechanism, the absenceof any spark plug or ignition circuit, and from the substitution of avery simple sheet metal '4 connecting rod for that used in engines nowcommon, such material being made feasible because the stresses on therod are entirely tensional during the power stroke.

W hat I claim is:

1. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder having an inlet port, aburner in exterior proximity to said port, a support for said burnerlaterally carried b the cylinder, a valve member exteriorly slidable onthe cylinder to control said port, and an actuator for the valve memberapertured to accommodate said support.

2. In an engine, the combination with a cylinder having a headed upperend and an inlet port adjacent to such end, a burner in exteriorproximity to said port, a support for the burner laterally carried bythe cylinder in downwardly spaced relation to said port, a valve memberexteriorly slidable up and down on said cylinder to control the port,and an actuator for the valve member having an enlarged upper portionapertured to accommodate said support.

3. in an engine as set forth in claim 2, said cylinder having an upwardextension on which a slideway for th valve member is extended, hoodcarried by the burner and extending in proximity to the cylinder and itssaid extension to shield the burner flame.

ORVILLE Z. FRAZIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 343,875 Weisz June 15, 1886991,989 Helm May 9, 1911 1,028,511 Weisz June 4, 1912 2,176,272 OLearyOct. 17, 1939

